Top Gear (2002 TV series)

Top Gear
File:275px-TopGearLogo.jpg The Top Gear logo
Genre	Motoring
Presented by	Jeremy Clarkson Zoe Ball(5 Guest Appearances) Richard Hammond James May (since 2003) The Stig Jason Dawe (2002)
Opening theme	"Jessica"
Composer	Dickey Betts
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	11
No. of episodes	91 and 5 specials (list of episodes)
Production
Producer	Andy Wilman
Production locations	Dunsfold Park, Guildford, Surrey
Running time	60 min. (approx.)
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	20 October 2002 – present
Related
Stars in Fast Cars; Top Gear Winter Olympics; Top Gear of the Pops; Top Gear: Polar Special; Top Ground Gear Force

Top Gear is a BAFTA, multi-NTA and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The programme is estimated to have 385 million viewers worldwide and 11 million viewers each week, with one episode (Series 7 Episode 5) having 21 million viewers worldwide on BBC Two. The show is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, an anonymous test driver. In 2007 it was one of the most pirated television shows in the world.

Top Gear is broadcast in many countries (see List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases). The show returned for Series 11 on 22 June 2008 for a total of 6 episodes with a new team member, Top Gear Stunt Man.

In the UK, repeats of Top Gear are regularly shown on Dave.

History

See also: Top Gear (original format)

Jeremy Clarkson, who helped the original series reach its peak in the 1990s, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for Top Gear to the BBC, reversing a previous decision to cancel the show in 2001. The new series was first broadcast in 2002. Top Gear's studio is located at Dunsfold Park in Surrey, a private aerodrome and business park. Top Gear uses a temporary racing circuit which was designed for the show by Lotus and is laid out on parts of the runways and taxiways. A large hangar is used for studio recording with a standing audience who apply to the BBC for free tickets.

The new series format incorporates a number of major changes from the old show. The running time was extended to one hour and two new presenters were introduced: Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, with James May replacing Dawe after the first series. The Stig, an anonymous masked racing driver, was introduced as the test driver. New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", "The Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps", and one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans.

File:TopGearHosts.jpg

1. Top Photo: Series 1 host lineup from l to r: Jason Dawe, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson.
2. Bottom Photo: The current presenters from Series 2 onward. From l to r: James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson.

Series 9 was scheduled to air on BBC Two from 8 October 2006. However, on 20 September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured while driving a jet-powered drag-racing car at up to 314 mph (502 km/h) for a feature in the show. On 24 September the BBC said: "It also confirmed the final part of the Best of Top Gear had been postponed indefinitely and the new series, due to begin on 8 October 2006, will be delayed." Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out inquiries into the accident. On 5 October 2006, filming resumed. The ninth series began on 28 January 2007 and included footage of Hammond's crash. The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother and the final episode of the series had 8 million viewers — BBC Two's highest ratings for a decade.

A special edition of Top Gear — filmed for Red Nose Day 2007 — called Top Gear of the Pops mixed the show's typical format with music and appearances from artists Lethal Bizzle, Travis, Supergrass, and McFly with a challenge to write a song including the words "sofa", "administration" and "Hyundai" and a performance by Clarkson, Hammond and May with Justin Hawkins of "Red Light Spells Danger" by Billy Ocean.

Repeats of earlier series are currently shown on Dave and UKTV People, cut to 45 minutes to allow it to fit in an hour-long slot while leaving room for adverts. Since mid-October 2007 the channel Dave has begun showing new episodes of Top Gear, only three weeks behind BBC Two. The new episodes are also shown in an edited 45-minute version. Top Gear has been broadcast in other countries either in its original format, in a re-edited version, or (as in the case of the North American edition) with specially shot segments in front of the UK audience.

The BBC also broadcasts an edited Top Gear programmes on its international BBC World TV channel. Episodes are shortened from their original length of one hour to 30 minutes, often leaving dangling references and inconsistencies. Additionally, the original transmission order is sometimes not adhered to, so references to un-aired events are common. The only footage specially shot for the international version is for the end of each episode, when Clarkson bids his goodbye to BBC World viewers, instead of BBC viewers.

Recently, BBC World has not shown cut versions of the current series, but has resorted to "best of" collections of the previous series. In both cases the BBC World edition mainly features the challenges and races from the normal episodes, with Clarkson's 'stronger' remarks removed. Interviews and "Car of the Year" are generally not shown.

In April 2007, the BBC reported on a Sun story that Top Gear had been in talks about creating an American version. The current presenters would remain as hosts, but the show would focus on American cars and include American celebrities. The Sun reported in July, however, that plans for an American version had been shelved, partly over Clarkson's misgivings about spending several months in the US, away from his family.

A special programme, Top Gear: Polar Special, was broadcast in the UK on 25 July 2007 and was the first episode to be shown in high-definition. It involved a race to the North Magnetic Pole from Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, with James May and Jeremy Clarkson travelling in a 'polar modified' Toyota Hilux, and Richard Hammond on a dog-drawn sled — or, as they became known, "Team Dog". All three presenters had experienced explorers with them, and Clarkson and May became the first to reach the 1996 North Magnetic Pole by car, using the vehicle's satellite navigation. Since 1996, the North Magnetic Pole had moved approximately 100 miles (160 km). The recorded 1996 location is the target used by Polar Challenge and was used by the Top Gear team as their destination; the Geographic North Pole is approximately 800 miles (1,300 km) further north.

On 9 September 2007, Top Gear participated in the 2007 Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone, where the hosts (including The Stig) drove a race-prepared, second-hand diesel BMW 330d to win 3rd in class and 39th overall.

On 19 November 2007, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an Australian Broadcaster, secured the rights to franchise Top Gear and produce an Australian version of the show. Australia is the first country in the world to secure the rights to make a local version of the show, which mixes performance cars with comedy and celebrities. Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson added, "I'm delighted that Top Gear is going to Australia. Maybe the first guest could be Jonny Wilkinson." The Hosts of the Australian show will be Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown, former Sydney radio newsreader Charlie Cox, and Porsche Australia racing driver Steve Pizzati.

A special episode of Top Gear for Sport Relief, entitled Top Ground Gear Force, was broadcast on BBC Two at 10:00 pm on 14 March 2008. This programme, which borrowed the Ground Force format, saw presenters 'Alan Clarkmarsh', 'Handy Hammond' and 'Jamesy Dimmock May' undertake a one-day makeover of Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave's garden.

Also on 14 March 2008, BBC Worldwide announced that the Top Gear format would provide the basis for a live event that will visit fifteen countries. Clarkson, Hammond and May are expected to be present for the British leg of the tour.

On 17 June 2008, in an interview on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show, Hammond and May confirmed that in Series 11 there will be a new "occasional regular host". The series' executive producer, Andy Wilman, has also revealed that future programmes will have less time devoted to big challenges:

"We've looked back at the last two or three runs and noticed that a programme can get swallowed up by one monster film — a bit like one of those Yes albums from the 70s where side one is just one track — so we're trying to calm down the prog-rock side. We'll inevitably still have big films, because it's the only way you can enjoy the three of them cocking about together, but they'll be shorter overall, and alongside we'll be inserting two- or three-minute punk songs."

Segments

Races

Main article: Top Gear Races

The show regularly features various races. There have been a number of epic races where Clarkson or one of the other presenters drives a car against other forms of transport, typically involving Hammond and May taking the same journey by combinations of plane, train or ferry.

A number of smaller scale 'novelty' races have also taken place that demonstrate various strengths and, more often, weaknesses of cars. These races involve one of the presenters, in a carefully chosen car, racing head-to-head against an athlete in conditions that favour the latter. The programme has also featured a variety of small races, typically lasting a couple of minutes, that pit two similar cars against each other, for example old vs. new.

Challenges

Main article: Top Gear challenges

Jeremy Clarkson's Toyboata pickup truck from the amphibious cars challenge.

Novelty challenges and short stunt films are typically based on absurd premises, such as a bus jumping over motorcycles (as opposed to the more typical scenario of a motorocycle jumping over buses) or a nun driving a monster truck. These features have become much less prominent over the life of the programme (they were much more regular during the first four series), being replaced or superseded in later series' by the "How hard can it be?" and "Cheap car" challenges which are much larger in scope.

Finally, the presenters are given a budget (typically around £1,500, but it has been between £100 and £10,000 depending on the type of car) to buy a used car conforming to certain criteria. Once purchased, the presenters compete against each other in a series of tests to establish who has bought the best car. The presenters have no prior knowledge of what the tests will be, although they generally involve a long journey to determine reliability, fuel economy (not always however), and a race track event to determine performance.

Unusual reviews

Another Top Gear trademark is the often unusual approach to 'reviewing' cars. Rather than presenting straight road tests, the presenters find interesting ways of focusing on a specific aspect of a car. These items often take the form of (typically) small challenges.

• Drive until you get bored / Test: enjoyable travel. Clarkson claimed that Jaguars "ease the burden of travel" and devised a test for the Jaguar XJ to see how far he could drive one before he got bored. Series Two, Episode Four

• Lap of the M25 / Test: fuel economy. Clarkson drove a lap of the M25 in a diesel Volkswagen Lupo, while another driver used the petrol version to see which would achieve more miles per gallon. Clarkson was allowed to spend any money he saved over the petrol version on a gift at a service station. He chose a small gold model of a cockerel, which made a reappearance in later series as 'The Golden Cock' - the award given to the presenter who'd made the most embarrassing mistake of the year. Series Three, Episode One

• Toyota Hilux destruction / Test: toughness. Clarkson and May used various methods in an attempt to destroy a Toyota Hilux. The heavily damaged (but still driveable) Hilux now stands on a plinth in the Top Gear studio. Series Three, Episodes Five & Six

• Helicopter gunship evasion / Test: handling. Clarkson tried to avoid being caught in missile lock from an WAH-64D Apache attack helicopter while driving a Lotus Exige. Series Four, Episode One

• London to Edinburgh and back again on a single tank of fuel / Test: fuel economy. Clarkson attempted to drive a diesel Audi A8 800 miles (1,300 km) on a single tank of fuel. Series Four, Episode Four

• Minicab road testing / Test: toughness and practicality. Hammond and May worked as minicab drivers in order to subject a Renault Scenic and Ford C-MAX to a year's worth of hard abuse in one evening. Series Four, Episode Seven

• Off-road up a mountain / Test: off-road ability. Clarkson tried to drive a Land Rover Discovery from the beach to the top of Cnoc an Fhreiceadain in Scotland, completely off-road. It was heavily criticised by environmentalists for the damage done by the vehicle's tires. This stunt was memorable in that Clarkson left the mountain by helicopter with the Discovery's keys in his pocket delaying its removal from the hill. Series Five, Episode Three

• 24 hours in a car / Test: comfort. Hammond and May spent 24 hours in a Smart Forfour to assess the marketing claim that the car is "designed like a lounge". Series Five, Episode Four

• Tank evasion / Test: off-road ability. Clarkson discovered if a Challenger 2 tank could lock its main cannon on to a Range Rover Sport. Series Six, Episode One

• Car Football / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, played a football match using Toyota Aygos. Series Six, Episode One

• Sniper evasion / Test: handling. Clarkson drove around a deserted village in a Mercedes SLK55 AMG and a Porsche Boxster S, trying to evade snipers of the Irish Guards. Series Six, Episode Five

• Road Test Russian Roulette / Test: random road testing. Hammond and May worked as ScooterMen in order to road-test as many (randomly selected) cars as possible, the catch being that they wouldn't know what they'd be road-testing and had to do it in the presence of the cars' owners. Series Six, Episode Nine

• Supercars / Superbridge / Test: illustrate the point of supercars. The trio took three supercars (a Ford GT, a Ferrari F430 and a Pagani Zonda S) on a road trip to the recently opened Millau Viaduct via Paris. Series Seven, Episode Three

• Car Ice Hockey / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, played an ice hockey match using Suzuki Swifts, while Clarkson acted as referee. Winter Olympics Special

• Horse racing camera platform / Test: smooth ride. Clarkson reviewed the Citroën C6 and put it to work as a mobile camera platform covering a horse race. Series Eight, Episode Five

• Car Football 2 / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, staged another football match using Toyota Aygos against a new contender, the Volkswagen Fox. Series Eight, Episode Five

Significant cars

The programme will on occasion, sometimes to celebrate an anniversary, present short review films of non-contemporary cars to highlight why they are significant. These reviews are distinct from the various challenges involving old cars, because the subject matter is addressed in a more serious and factual manner. Reviews include:

• Ford Escort RS1800 Series One, Episode Two
• Citroën DS Series One, Episode Three
• Bentley T2 Series Two, Episode One
• Rover P5 Series Two, Episode Two
• Jaguar Le Mans C-Type & Mark 2 Series Two, Episode Four
• Triumph TR6 Series Two, Episode Five
• GM HyWire Series Two, Episode Nine
• BMW M1, M3 & M5 Series Three, Episode Two
• Lamborghini Miura Series Three, Episode Four
• Lamborghini Countach Series Three, Episode Four
• Volkswagen Corrado VR6 & Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Cosworth Series Three, Episode Five
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage Series Three, Episode Six
• Mercedes-Benz 280SL Series Three, Episode Eight
• Aston Martin Lagonda Series Three, Episode Eight
• Dodge Charger 440 R/T Series Four, Episode Three
• Jaguar XJS Series Four, Episode Six
• Rover V8 engine & Rover SD1 Series Four, Episode Eight
• Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Series Five, Episode Five
• Maserati Biturbo & 250F Series Six, Episode Two
• Maserati Bora Series Six, Episode Three
• Aston Martin DB5 & Jaguar E-type Series Six, Episode Five
• British racing green & Vanwall F1 Series Seven, Episode Two
• Modern control layout Featuring: Benz Motorwagen, Royal Enfield quad bike, De Dion-Bouton, Ford Model T, Cadillac Type 53, Austin 7 Series Ten, Episode Eight

Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car

Main article: Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car

In each episode, a celebrity is interviewed by Clarkson. Then, Clarkson, the guest and the studio audience watch footage of the guest's fastest lap around the Top Gear test track. The times are recorded on a leader board.

For the first seven series of Top Gear's current format, the car driven was a Suzuki Liana. At the beginning of the eighth series, the Liana was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti. Consequently, as the Lacetti is more powerful, the leader board was wiped clean. The format for setting a lap time was also changed: each celebrity is allowed five practice laps, then a final timed lap. No allowance is made for any errors on this final timed lap.

Ellen MacArthur set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Liana. However, before it was retired, The Stig was given the chance to do a lap in the car and set a faster time than MacArthur.

As of December 2007, Simon Cowell has set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Chevrolet Lacetti.

There have been several mishaps in the past with this feature. Sir Michael Gambon went around the final corner of the track on two wheels, prompting Jeremy to rename the corner in Gambon's honour. Lionel Richie and Trevor Eve lost a wheel and David Soul destroyed the clutches of both the main car and the back-up car. Several celebrities have come off the track in practice, with Clarkson showing the footage to the audience.

There is a separate Formula One drivers' leader board. The Stig is top of this board, but the presenters consider Lewis Hamilton's time to be more impressive: it is only three tenths of a second behind, despite being set on a very wet and oily track. In the past Clarkson has told drivers that they may deduct 4 seconds for a wet lap in the Suzuki Liana making Hamilton's lap even more impressive. All Formula One times, even those set after the seventh series, are set in the Suzuki Liana.

Power Laps

Main article: Power Laps

File:TopGearStig.jpg

The Stig driving a Pagani Zonda F

In the Power Laps segment, The Stig completes a lap around the Top Gear test track to gauge the performance of various cars.

The qualifications for the normal Power Lap Board is that the car being tested must be a road-worthy car and be able to go over a speed bump which is referred to sometimes in the UK as a 'sleeping policeman'. There is a separate unofficial board of times for non-production car times.

The most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the Template:Auto PS Bugatti Veyron, has not yet been driven around the track by The Stig. According to Clarkson, this is because Bugatti has not given Top Gear permission to run the car through a power lap. This was confirmed on the Veyron's second appearance in February 2007, when Clarkson made an appeal to Veyron owners to let Top Gear borrow their car and allow The Stig to drive it around the track, offering up to £30 to do so.

The car that recorded the fastest lap time on the Top Gear track was the Renault F1 car, at fifty nine seconds (0:59.00), although it was disqualified because the rules only include production cars able to get over speed bumps.

As of the Tenth Series the fastest road legal car that met the 'sleeping policeman' requirement was the Ascari A10 in a time of 1:17.3. This is only 0.3 seconds faster than the former lap leader the Koenigsegg CCX with the Top Gear rear spoiler.

Without the 'sleeping policeman' requirement the fastest time around the track for a road legal car would be the Caparo T1. The Caparo posted a time of 1:10.6 despite its reliability problems.

The Cool Wall

Introduced in the sixth episode of series one, Clarkson and Hammond decide which cars are cool and which are not by placing photographs of them on to various sections of a large board. The categories are "Sub Zero", "Cool", "Uncool", and "Seriously Uncool". Initially, part of the coolness factor rested on the extent to which the presenters believed each car would impress English actress Kristin Scott Thomas, although more recently, BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce has replaced Scott Thomas as their notional judge. When Scott Thomas appeared on the show in series nine, she turned out to dislike all the 'cool' cars and like all the 'uncool' cars. In the first episode of Series 4, a separate 'DB9 Section' mini fridge on a table to the right of the board was introduced, for those cars considered "super cool". It initially contained just the DB9, with the V8 Vantage, nicknamed the "Baby Aston", joining it in the seventh series. On one occasion, a particularly uncool car's picture was stuck onto a member of the audience to the left of the board, and in Episode 2, Series 11, Clarkson took the Fiat Panda, and moved it beyond the Cool Wall, past the audience and somewhereon the Top Gear banner at the back of the hangar due to the simple fact that James May had one.

An acknowledged rule of the Cool Wall is that cars owned by the presenters cannot be considered cool. In series nine, Clarkson was forced to place the Gallardo Spyder in the Uncool section because he had just bought one. He then revealed that he had sold his Ford GT, allowing him to move the car into the Sub-Zero section.

Frequently Clarkson and Hammond will disagree over which section a car should be placed in, with Clarkson nearly always winning the argument — sometimes by placing the car at the very top of the wall in his favoured section, preventing the much shorter Hammond from being able to reach it. On one occasion, Hammond began eating the card on which a BMW M6 was featured, preventing it from being used. In series six, Clarkson slipped two spinal disks from "repetitive oversteer injury" and was unable to bend down. Taking advantage of this, Hammond ended an argument by placing the car in question at the bottom of the board.

In the fourth episode of series nine Hammond attempted to place a Ducati 1098 motorcycle on the wall, but due to his hatred of motorcycles Clarkson removed it (and some of the wall) with a chainsaw. Clarkson pointed the chainsaw at Hammond and jokingly said, "Run or you'll be a lot shorter".

In the first episode of series ten, the fire-damaged Cool Wall was shown in the programme. The Cool Wall made its return in the second episode of Series 11. Clarkson blamed Fifth Gear for the fire-damage.

Car of the Year

At the end of each autumn series the hosts present an award to their favourite car of the year, that they can all agree on. Winners have included:

• 2002 – Land Rover Range Rover
• 2003 – Rolls-Royce Phantom
• 2004 – Volkswagen Golf GTI
• 2005 – Bugatti Veyron
• 2006 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
• 2007 – Ford Mondeo or Subaru Legacy Outback

Ownership survey

Every year Top Gear conducts a survey which consults thousands of UK residents on their car-ownership satisfaction. While for legal reasons the survey is now conducted via the magazine, the results are still used on the show. The survey, which used to be done in conjunction with J.D. Power, is now conducted by Experian. The survey asks respondents to score cars on build quality, craftsmanship, driving experience, ownership costs, and customer care. Based on these weighted criteria, the best and worst ranked cars from the survey are:

Year	Best Ranked	Worst ranked
2003	Jaguar XJ	Volkswagen Sharan
2004	Honda S2000	Mercedes M-Class
2005	Honda S2000	Peugeot 807
2006	Honda S2000	Peugeot 807

Novelty car features

The programme has always been able to come up with new ways to answer that old adage "What will they think of next?" For example, squeezing the 6'5" Jeremy Clarkson into a Peel P50, and then getting him to drive round central London and the BBC Television Centre. Clarkson then promptly described it as "the best car we've had on the show ever." The piece featured Clarkson in various interactions with BBC News journalists — specifically being pulled out of a lift while still in the car by Fiona Bruce (who was also the new muse for the Cool Wall), trying to get the car back from John Humphrys who had taken it for a joyride around the office, and driving to a meeting within the building and appearing in the background on BBC News 24. Ultimately, Clarkson suffered the final ignominy of being turned 180° by Dermot Murnaghan while stuck at a zebra crossing in a car with no reverse gear. Novelty features include:

• People carrier racing Series Five, Episode Five
• Clarkson opens the Chipping Norton lido by driving a Rolls-Royce into it Series Six, Episode Three
• The Peel P50 Series Ten, Episode Three
• Motorhome racing Series Ten, Episode Six

Ending credits

The programme occasionally alters the end credits to reflect its locale, replacing every first name in the credits with one reminiscent of the area. In the "Winter Olympics Special" episode, filmed in Lillehammer, Norway; everybody was named Björn (except for Hammond, May and The Stig; who took the names Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid respectively), whilst in the "African Adventure Special" all were called Archbishop Desmond. Furthermore, in the Polar Special all first names in the ending credits were replaced with Sir Ranulph, in reference to the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. In Series 9, The America Challenge ending credits named Clarkson as 'Cletus Clarkson', Hammond as 'Earl Hammond, Jr.', May as 'Ellie May May', The Stig as 'Roscoe P. Stig' and replaced the first names of all other crew members with 'Billy Bob'.

Soundtrack

Top Gear has always used an adaptation of The Allman Brothers Band's instrumental hit "Jessica" as its theme song. Initially the show used part of the original Allmans' recording of the song, but later episodes of Top Gear use updated cover versions. For the original series run, the end credits music was "Out of the Blue", an instrumental from the 1976 Elton John album, Blue Moves.

In series 6 episode 11, James May recorded the necessary notes to play the theme tune from car engine sounds, it was played over the end credits.

During series 6, May hosted a segment showing nominations for the greatest song to drive to, the final list of ten was voted for by write-in nominations on the Top Gear website, the top five were then submitted for phone vote by viewers of the show. Songs in the top 10 were:

Rank	Band	Song
10	Fleetwood Mac	"The Chain"
9	AC/DC	"Highway to Hell"
8	Led Zeppelin	"Immigrant Song"
7	Kenny Loggins	"Danger Zone"
6	Motörhead	"Ace of Spades"
5	Deep Purple	"Highway Star"
4	Steppenwolf	"Born to Be Wild"
3	Meat Loaf	"Bat Out of Hell"
2	Golden Earring	"Radar Love"
1	Queen	"Don't Stop Me Now"

It included continual complaining from the presenters about the presence of "Bat Out of Hell" on the list (which was leading as of the selection of the top five) and its promotional segment included such visuals as cars being towed away and gridlocked streets. On the other hand, the equivalent "Don't Stop Me Now" segment was the exact opposite, featuring open roads and being described as "a joy" and "a song for life" in the voiceover.

Top Gear annually releases a CD entitled Greatest Driving Songs.

In addition, pre-recorded film segments use a wide variety of background music clips. Along with classic and contemporary rock and occasionally dance tracks, excerpts from movie soundtracks are often used, including Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean, Predator, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, The Rock, V for Vendetta, Donnie Darko and Where Eagles Dare, among others.

During the test of the Enzo Ferrari, which was filmed using the car owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, several clips of Pink Floyd's music were used as Clarkson claimed Mason would only allow them to use his car if they plugged his new book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd.

Awards and nominations

In November 2005, Top Gear won an International Emmy in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category.

In the episode where the presenters showed the award to the studio audience, Clarkson joked that he was unable to go to New York to receive the award since he was too busy writing the script for the show.

Top Gear has also been nominated in three consecutive years (2004–2006) for the British Academy Television Awards in the Best Feature category. Clarkson was also nominated in the best "Entertainment Performance" category in 2006. In 2004 and 2005, Top Gear was also nominated for a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Programme category; it won the award in 2006 and 2007. Accepting the award in October 2007, Richard Hammond made the comment that they really deserved it this year, because he didn't have to crash to get some sympathy votes. Also, in Series 10, Richard Hammond won the award for the 'Best TV Haircut' and James May won the award for the worst, while James May also won an award for "weird celebrity crush" revealed during the news.

Criticism

Top Gear is often criticised for not featuring enough "affordable" cars, instead featuring expensive supercars. In the final episode of series 10, the Ford Mondeo — historically one of the UK's best selling cars — was the show's Car of the Year despite it not being reviewed; the £350,000 Ascari A10 and £235,000 Caparo T1 were featured instead. The programme occasionally acknowledges this criticism and turns it into a joke. For example, during a news segment (Series 8, Episode 3), Clarkson mentioned a viewer who had phoned the BBC asking for more 'normal' cars to appear. He then displayed a picture of the up-coming Vauxhall Corsa on the set's TV screen for a few seconds without comment from either the other presenters or the audience, then moved on to the next item. And when introducing May's road test of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, Clarkson read out a letter reading Dear Top Gear, why don't you feature more affordable cars, for normal people like me, Clarkson then rounded off the letter by saying 'From Mr. R. Abramovich, of Chelsea' implying that the letter is supposedly from multi-millionaire Roman Abramovich. In a different episode, Clarkson mentioned complaints about the lack of 'Green cars' (referring to environmentally friendly cars). Clarkson then directed the camera to a Lamborghini Murcielago coloured green.

Top Gear has also been censured on many occasions for allegedly promoting irresponsible driving, causing ecological damage and favouring performance over fuel efficiency and conservation.

Conversely, Clarkson himself has been critical of the BBC over handling of the programme. In the February 2006 issue of Top Gear Magazine, Clarkson voiced his opinion that the BBC did not take Top Gear seriously. He also appears to be annoyed with BBC bosses for the length of the series and for often replacing the show with snooker (which Clarkson labelled as "drunk men playing billiards" at the end of Episode 2, Series 10), despite Top Gear having considerably higher viewing figures.

General complaints

In July 2006 the BBC rejected a variety of complaints about the issues Top Gear chooses and the way they are covered by Clarkson, Hammond and May. The BBC argued that their "provocative comments are an integral part of the programme and are not intended to be taken seriously." Regarding offensive remarks traded between presenters and members of the audience, the BBC said "this is part of the appeal of the show [and] we trust most viewers are familiar enough with the style and tone of the show not to take offence." The BBC pointed out that they would act if such statements and actions were carried out with any degree of seriousness or if the programme breached legal and safety requirements.

Top Gear was in negotiations to move to Enstone in north Oxfordshire, close to the home of the Renault F1 team's British base and to Clarkson's home in Chipping Norton, but has so far been unable to negotiate a deal after their initial application was blocked due to opposition by local citizens because of fears that Top Gear would create pollution and noise.

Tree damage

The BBC compensated a Bristol local parish in 2004 after Clarkson crashed a Toyota Hilux into a tree during a segment on proving the sturdiness and reliability of the truck through a series of torture tests. Nobody knew how the damage occurred until film of the incident was broadcast. Until then, it had been presumed that the damage had been accidental or vandalism.

Germans

During the 13 November 2005 episode, a news segment featuring BMW's MINI Concept from the Tokyo Motor Show showcased a car that Hammond quoted as supposedly being "quintessentially British", the only added feature being an integrated tea set. Clarkson responded by mocking that they should build a car that is "quintessentially German". He suggested turn signals that displayed Hitler salutes, "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland" in reference to the Nazi invasion of Poland, and "ein fanbelt that will last a thousand years", a reference to Adolf Hitler's propaganda slogan of "the thousand-year Reich". These statements gained negative attention in the British and German news media, and led to viewers' complaints reaching the BBC Board of Governors. In July 2006, the BBC Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee rejected the protests:

"...the Committee did not believe that, when looking at the audience as a whole, they would have felt that the comments were anything more than Jeremy Clarkson using outrageous behaviour to amuse his audience, and that the remarks would not have led to anyone entertaining new or different feelings or concerns about Germans or Germany..."

Homosexuality

In December 2006, the BBC upheld complaints from four viewers after comments made by Jeremy Clarkson were considered to be derogatory references to homosexuality and had the potential to offend and should not have been broadcast. In a programme broadcast in July 2006, Clarkson had agreed with a member of the audience that a car was "a bit gay". He also described the vehicle as "very ginger beer", taken to be rhyming slang for the term "queer". The BBC said there was "no editorial purpose" for the remarks and the "Top Gear team had been reminded of the importance of avoiding such comments about sexual orientation."

Caravan fire

Top Gear presenters have been criticised for their negative views and depiction of caravans; once claiming to have received 150 complaints after they destroyed a caravan on a 'caravan holiday' during one of many caravan destruction segments. James Tapper, writing in the British Mail on Sunday newspaper, claimed the episode's action had been staged and that Dorset emergency services had been paid around £1,000 by the BBC for a six-man fire crew to participate in the mock fire. A BBC spokeswoman confirmed that the fire had been planned for safety reasons and that viewers were not misled due to the stunt's slapstick nature. Hammond also presented a show called Brainiac: Science Abuse, where at the end of each programme a caravan is blown up with a different kind of explosive.

Dead cow incident

Both the BBC and the UK media regulator OFCOM received complaints about the dead cow tied to the roof of Clarkson's Camaro in the American Special (the third programme of the ninth series). The cow had died several days previously due to natural causes.

Train crash stunt

Another point of controversy regards the airing of a staged train crash in Series 9 Episode 5. The reconstruction of a collision between a train and a car positioned across the level crossing in Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, near Scunthorpe was criticised due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier, even though it was not caused by a track incursion. The reconstruction, which was organised by Network Rail as part of its Don't Run The Risk campaign, has been condemned by several people, including Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus who said: "We need to raise awareness of the issue, but now is not the right time." However, this item had already been delayed several weeks because of an earlier fatal level crossing crash, and with only one programme remaining in the series and the frequency of level crossing accidents, it may have been considered that there was no "appropriate" time to show the film without "offending" somebody. A repeat of this episode due to be aired on the 1 March 2007 was not broadcast after another death on a level crossing earlier that morning. The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode.

Insensitivity to brain injury victims

The BBC apologised to a number of Top Gear viewers after Clarkson asked the returning Hammond the question "Are you now a mental?" May also offered a tissue in case he "dribbled" during the first episode of the 2007 series. The comments were meant as a joke about the head injuries Hammond sustained during his crash before the series, but an apology was made after several viewers complained.

Drink driving

During the Polar Special, Jeremy Clarkson was seen to be drinking a Gin and Tonic whilst driving. Despite the producer's claims that they were in international waters at the time, the BBC trust found that the scene could "glamourise the misuse of alcohol", and that the scene "was not editorially justified in the context of a family show pre-watershed".

International Top Gear series

On 19 November 2007, it was revealed that a localised Australian series of Top Gear would be produced by the SBS network in conjunction with Freehand Productions, BBC Worldwide's Australasian partner. Top Gear Australia. This announcement marks the first time a deal has been struck for a version of Top Gear to be produced exclusively for a foreign market. No indication has been given yet as to the exact makeup of the show, other than that it will have a distinct Australian style. It is believed that the Australian show idea was sparked by Clarkson's love of the Australian performance car brand Holden Special Vehicles. SBS ran a competition to find hosts for the show, interested applicants were invited to apply via the SBS Top Gear website. In May 2008, SBS Television confirmed that the presenters for the Australian program were to be Charlie Cox, Warren Brown, Steve Pizzati and a local 'cousin' of The Stig.

NBC announced it has ordered the pilot for an American version of Top Gear, which will be presented by television and radio host Adam Carolla, stunt driver Tanner Foust, and television carpenter Eric Stromer.

International Broadcasts of the original British Top Gear series

Top Gear is broadcast worldwide on the BBC World channel and Canvas, the Flemish public broadcaster, picked up the show after the success of the Top Gear North Pole special.

External links

• Top Gear at BBC Online
• Top Gear at BBCAmerica
• Top Gear magazine website
• BBC News article on Top Gear's history (21 September 2006)
• Top Gear on UKTV
• List of Cars appearing on Top Gear courtesy of theIMCDb
• Needcoffee.com post and BBC Worldwide America press release regarding the American version (15 January 2008)